I grew up playing Nintendo games. NES, SNES, Nintendo 64… I have fond memories of my childhood whenever I see anything Nintendo-related. This video by lefvandebilder brings that warm nostalgia feeling. And you can see the creators are Nintendo fans like me. So much hard work in order to make this original animation. You guys are terrific!

By the way, the “Behind the Scenes” video below is almost as fun to watch – especially when they get to the time-lapsed portion of production. Definitely worth seeing!

Nintendo’s 6th generation console system, the Wii U was released today, November 18, 2012. Although the jury’s still out on the Wii U, early reviews have been positive! The system’s tablet controller is going to be the main feature that every kid and mom will be drawn to. You will be very lucky to find any supply anytime soon, unless you preordered.

Here is a list of first impressions by the early adopters that waited in line or preordered:

The GamePad feels awesome! It’s light, ergonomic, comfortable, and not as heavy as an iPad.

Gamers are already enjoying the added map and inventory views you get on the GamePad in single-player games. It frees up TV screen real estate, and no more need to pause to bring up your secondary screen, cuz it’s right there.

The charge cord for the GamePad and Pro Controller are 8-feet long (and you can play while you charge it (battery charge is 3-5 hours).

The HD graphics in Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros U are simply beautiful (this is Nintendo’s first HD-capable console in the company’s history).

Gamers were able to play certain games on the GamePad even after they turned their TV off, or when someone wanted to watch some TV – games such as Madden NFL 13, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and New Super Mario Bros. U. And since the GamePad is wireless and has a range of 26 feet, depending on your walls, you can keep playing in your bedroom, washroom, etc.

With a system update, the Wii U is backward compatible with the Wii (but not Gamecube games). You can also transfer Wii data to the Wii U.

The GamePad’s resolution is not HD (so not better than iPad), but the graphics still holds its own. And this pad has controller sticks (so better than iPad!)

There is no built-in system-wide achievement or aggregate scoring system.

A nice editorial of why it was made, and Nintendo’s philosophy on the Wii U:

The Wii U is the right console for this moment in history. Regardless of its future, the Wii U feels like a machine of the moment… The Wii U is for a new way we live. It’s for the era of four people going to dinner, theoretically being together, but all also being off in their own worlds via the cell phones that they keep checking… Look at New Super Mario Bros. U: four people are looking at the TV, running across a sidescrolling landscape using Wii Remotes held sideways. They are jumping on platforms and crushing enemies. They are four people at a dinner party talking about the same thing. The fifth player is on the GamePad. They control no characters. They press no buttons. They just watch the same game world scroll by and tap the screen to create blocks that catch any TV players who are falling and that make staircases for any of those TV players who need a leg up. The GamePad player is at the same dinner party, but they’re not really listening. They’re on their cell phone. This is our world right now. The Wii U is a perfect video game console realization of that. Its timeliness is exciting.

Only a month away from the exciting release of Nintendo’s next gaming console. Los Angeles Times writer, Todd Martens has some interesting views of the new Wii U when he tried it out at the recent Wii U press event at the W Hotel in Hollywood on Oct. 16, 2012.

You can tell from reading the article that the main draw of the new Nintendo system will be the tablet game controller and that many families will buy this system because of the currently trending popularity of tablets that the iPad originally had started.

For the casual crowd who want to know what else the Wii U can do other than gaming:

…It was the system’s TVii feature that looked to be one of its more promising aspects. If done right, the TVii can become a one-stop shop for all TV viewing needs. On-demand services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are placed side-by-side with network schedules, allowing users at once to see all that is available for viewing or purchase… For sports fans, the TVii looks to be rather addictive, with previews showing the GamePad as being able to provide in-game statistics, digitally simulcast games and host all sorts of other goodies for those with short-attention spans.

An example of an interesting use of the tablet on the Wii U:

The GamePad goes a long way toward providing [an] immersive experience. Flip on its flashlight and do a 360 on your couch and the GamePad screen allows you to see more of the environment than what’s on the TV screen. Intriguing also is the social aspect — friends who are completing their own missions on their own consoles can leave in-game messages for you to find, a la “Dark Souls.”

Maybe Sony and Microsoft will soon jump the bandwagon:

When playing with a friend locally, the GamePad is a vital tool – clunky split-screens become a thing of the past; I found I’d much rather view the action on the GamePad than the large flat-screen TV in front of me. Maybe that says a lot about the strength of the GamePad’s slick 6.2″ LCD touch screen, or perhaps it’s a simple acknowledgement that smart phones and tablets are transitioning the living room of the future into a place populated with multiple, more intimate screens.

Will you be buying the Wii U at launch? Are you the wait-and-see type? As for me, I’ve long been a Nintendo fan since the NES days, so I’ve already pre-ordered the black bundle! How ’bout you?

Holy smokes! 51 launch titles?!! I’ve seen the game demos of Nintendo’s launch titles for the next-gen Wii U video game console, and I am anxiously awaiting how Nintendo (and its 3rd party developers) will be using the iPad-like controller in creating fun and addicting games that will be hitting the console in the coming year. Looking at Nintendo’s track record, you already know several things: guaranteed family fun games based on Nintendo’s characters, innovative use of the features of the new system, Nintendo satisfying the HUGE appetite of the loyal fan base eagerly awaiting the next iteration of Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, et al. Here’s one video game fan eagerly awaiting for Sunday November 18.

What we recognize is we own that most desired space in the home, and it’s the big screen TV in the living room. We own that because of the games that we offer that are targeted toward multiple players in the household sitting down and having fun together. By owning that big screen TV we can branch out to other services like Nintendo TV and continue to really solidify our footprint.

Curious how the Wii U’s unique tablet controller works and how it will be innovatively used in games? Check out Nintendo Land trailer to see it in action, as well as ZombiU trailer, and Rayman Legends further below:

Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Punch Out, Super Paper Mario, Mario Strikers Charged, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers are on sale only until May 30, 2012 for CAD$14.83 each. All 7 of these are AAA must-buy titles. The soccer and baseball games and Animal Crossing are more for casual gamers and kids, but the other four games are definitely great for all gamers.

April 27-29, 2012, the annual comicon this year in Calgary was a huge draw, so much so that they blew past capacity on Saturday, and many people were turned away. The overwhelming volume of fans was mainly due to the presence of the original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, all nine of the original cast who had a reunion for the first time since the show went off the air 25 years ago.

Yours truly, onomeister, had decided this was a year not to be missed; and was I right!! With my trusty DSLR in hand, and dressed as Super Mario, I was able to snap up some incredible photos!

As you know, I blogged about a hard-to-resist Deal of the Day for the Nintendo 3DS. Sorry wifey, I gave in. And boy, for $100, this is a great value! Bought two games that came to $80, Super Mario Land 3D and Kid Icarus: Uprising. Now here are some thoughts on the system.

The 3D is amazing! (depending on the game of course). The included games within the 3DS (wait till you try AR Games!) really take advantage of it, and so do both Super Mario Land 3D and Kid Icarus. And remember, if the 3D effects are a little too much, it can be easily turned down or even off.

There’s a LOT of preloaded software this time! You can make and play music, take 3D pictures and 3D video (REALLY!), and edit them. You can even play Augmented Reality (AR) mini-games using the six packed-in AR cards. These AR games really show off the 3D effects well! You won’t believe your eyes when you first try them!

The device includes an accelerometer and gyroscope, for more modern motion-sensitive game control without additional peripherals. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time uses the motion-sensing hardware very well!

It comes included with a 2gb SD card! And of course the AC adapter, which you can use while playing if you play for more than 3 hours straight (cuz you know, the battery dies after just 3hrs). Oh, and it’s already charged up for you the first time right out of the box!

I can understand the criticism the 3DS got when it first came out ($250 price tag, low battery life, very few games). Well, this is the best time now as there are many great games out and for $100* for what you get, this is the deal of the year! *limited time only